Case Number 06731: Small Claims Court

GANTZ: KILLED OR BE KILLED (VOLUME 2)

The Charge

The Case

Yeah, I know. I said I wouldn't be back for any more of this, didn't I? Well,
they strong-armed me into it.

Anyway, this second volume of Gantz episodes contains two
installments. Here's a rundown of the events from each:

* Episode Three: "Kei, You're Awesome" The confrontation
with the adult Green Onion Alien continues. Poppa Green Onion slaughters several
of the Gantz's captives, leaving only Kei Kurono, his friend Kato, and the young
woman Kishimoto. Kato attempts to reason with the creature, but quickly realizes
he's getting nowhere. He then pulls his weapon and threatens the alien. Kei also
pulls his weapon, but the alien knocks Kato over a guardrail and down an
embankment. Kei and the young woman flee, with the alien in hot pursuit. The
creature chases them to a dead-end, but Kei manages to slip past it; the
creature follows Kei, leaving Kishimoto behind. Kato comes to, sees his old
friend and the alien run by, and follows them. Kei's uniform activates and
allows him to leap away from the creature, although the alien manages to catch
up to him as the dazed Kei pauses to ponder the suit's abilities. Kato comes up
behind the creature and puts it in a stranglehold. The creature uses one of its
claws to slice open Kato's arm. Kato releases the creature and falls to the
ground, his arm bleeding profusely. Kei grabs the creature by its throat; the
alien fights back, but Kei's armor protects him from the attacks. Kei pummels
the creature, which is then restrained by bands of energy generated by a remote
capture device. Nishi, another of the Gantz's captives, materializes and tells
Kei to kill the alien.

* Episode Four: "Okay, Here are Your Scores" Kei levels his
weapon at the alien. Nishi yells at him to shoot, but Kishimoto runs up and
tells Kei to hold his fire, so Kei puts his weapon back in his holster. He and
Nishi then proceed to bicker. Nishi draws his own weapon and shoots the alien,
and the creature's body begins to dissolve. Nishi begins to vanish, as do Kei
and Kishimoto. Kei breaks down when he realizes that Kato's body is being left
behind. The three reappear in the room with the Gantz, which is still counting
down. Nishi wonders why the Gantz has not stopped its clock, but understands
when the dog begins to materialize. Kishimoto recoils at the sight of the dog,
which once again attempts to perform cunnilingus on her. The Gantz then brings
Kato back to the room. The clock on the Gantz stops, at which time the sphere
opens and gives its captives their mission evaluations. Nishi proceeds to leave,
but the others force him to stay so they can question him. Nishi reveals that he
has been under the Gantz's control for about a year; he also says that whenever
someone is killed on a mission, the Gantz quickly chooses a replacement. Nishi
then activates his suit's invisibility mode and sneaks out. Kei returns to his
apartment and falls asleep with the television on; the following morning, he
sees news reports about the deaths of those who were killed during the
confrontation with the Green Onion Alien and its father, as well as a report
about his own disappearance.

There, that's everything that happens in these two episodes, so now you
don't have to watch them. Why do you want to avoid watching them? Because
Gantz continues to suck and because Gantz continues to be
pointless. These episodes aren't quite as bad as those featured in the first
volume, but I think that's because there aren't as many characters to hate
(although, when you think about it, that's really nothing to cheer about). There
are no redeeming qualities to the surviving characters, nor is there anything
remotely interesting about the storyline. Once again, all we have is violence
for the sake of violence, rampant misogyny, and that damn dog.

As was the case with the previous release, the technical merits are the only
redeeming qualities of this disc. The transfer is near perfect, with some
instances of edge enhancement being the only flaw. Oddly enough, the Japanese
stereo track is actually an improvement over that of the first volume, with
better channel separation and more bass activity. The English 5.1 track, while
still impressive, isn't as immersive as that featured on the previous release,
but that's because these episodes are heavier on dialogue and lighter on action.
Extras include clean opening and closing sequences, a preview for the next
release, and a brief, there's-not-much-there interview with Daisuke Namikawa,
the actor who provides the voice of Kei.

Second verse, same as the first. I hated the first two episodes, and I hate
the two included here. I'll again warn you to steer clear of Gantz. If,
however, you're a fan, you can rest assured that this release will treat you to
more of the same.